Pedestrian struck by HPD officer

Nineteen-year-old Tanya Hennessey was hospitalized Friday after
being struck by a Hollister police officer.
Hollister – Nineteen-year-old Tanya Hennessey was hospitalized Friday after being struck by a Hollister police officer.

According to Hollister Police Department Captain Bob Brooks, officer Chad Browning struck Hennessey at the corner of South Street and Prospect last Friday at approximately 3:30 p.m., said.

The Hollister resident is being treated at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for a compound fracture to the left shin and minor scraps to her right hand, according to CHP Public Affairs officer Chris Armstrong. She has been in the hospital for five days and could not be reached for comment.

The Hollister Police department turned the investigation over to the California Highway Patrol because departmental rules forbid them from investigating an accident in which one of their own officers is involved.

Hennessey was attempting to cross to Prospect Street when she was struck by Browning’s vehicle on her left side. Browning was on-duty at the time of the accident and was driving in his patrol car. A preliminary report stated that the “patrol vehicle failed to yield” to the pedestrian. Armstrong said that the report will not be released until it has been reviewed. He also said that he could not comment on who was at fault before the official report is released.

Any disciplinary action will be handled by the Hollister Police Department and not the CHP, Armstrong said.